Volunteers label boxes of food during the second annual Stuff A Bus collection Tuesday in Butler. The event, sponsored by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, collected about $3,000 and food worth about $15,000 for the Butler Area School District's Weekend Backpack program.

Teary-eyed Karen Freeman pulled up to a large yellow school bus and dropped off an assortment of macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, peanut butter and tuna.

“I can't stand the thought that kids don't have these things,” said Freeman, a Connoquenessing resident, about the significance of her donation. “It makes you cry.”

The second annual Stuff A Bus event hosted by the Butler Area School District had the 300-block of North Washington Street bustling Tuesday with summer fun and people who donated to support the district's kindergarten through fourth-grade students in its Weekend Backpack program.

By 11:30 a.m., brown boxes filled with goods were placed in almost all the school bus seats.

About 23 businesses collected donations at their place of business and brought them to the bus.

Linda Weber dropped off two boxes filled with goods from Quality Life Services, a company that operates 11 nursing homes, seven personal care homes, Quality Pharmacy and a home health and hospice company in Western Pennsylvania.

The company participated last year and decided to take up donations again, said Weber, with the company's marketing department.

“I think it's a great program because families struggle to keep their kids fed,” Weber said. “It's a worthy cause.”Incoming freshman Riley Green shuffled oatmeal and grouped boxes of rice into bigger cardboard boxes. Green decided to volunteer his time because of the event's impact on the community.“It's great for those people that need it the most,” said Green, 14.The event is sponsored by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, said Audray Muscatello Yost, president.The program covers the district's K-4 elementary schools, said Kim Thomas, the program's founder.“It's amazing,” Thomas said. “The turnout and support we are getting is absolutely amazing.”In its fourth year, the program provided 360 students with goods, she said, adding it costs about $5,000 a month to run the program.“Stuff A Bus helps to stock our shelves back up,” Thomas said. “Shelves are empty right now because the food is given to the students at the end of the school year so it doesn't expire.”

Each elementary school has a stock room of supplies that are organized like grocery shelves by expiration dates, she said.On a normal weekend, students receive two breakfast and dinner entrees and other items including fruit, snacks and dairy products, that are discreetly placed into the child's backpack by their teacher, Yost said.Larger items, such as jars of peanut butter, are given to students at Christmas and Thanksgiving.At its second annual event, more businesses and organizations participated, said Meghan Lucas, Stuff A Bus organizer, Center Township Elementary School teacher and high school volleyball coach.New this year at the event was a drive-through lane for people to drop off their donations, Lucas said.She said organizers plan to have the event around the same time — the second Tuesday of July — next year.The next step was to unload the bus and divide the goods evenly between the campuses, a process that takes about three hours, Thomas said.About $3,000 in monetary donations and three months of food worth about $15,000 were collected in total, Lucas said.“It's really amazing how the people in Butler help,” Yost said.

The 9th annual Potter Tour Co-Ed Volleyball TournamentWHAT: Community, corporate, civic and competitive teams will enjoy a day of volleyball while helping to spike out cancer.WHEN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. SundayWHERE: Butler Senior High School, 120 Campus LaneACTIVITIES: Raffles, auction and more.BENEFITS: Butler Cancer Support Services GroupCuts for a CureWHAT: Pledge to have your hair cut (only 8 inches) to donate to the Cancer Support Services Group to be made into hair halos for local cancer patients. Buzz cuts are offered for a donation.WHEN: Sunday; in conjunction with the ninth annual Potter Tour Co-Ed Volleyball TournamentWHERE: Butler Senior High School, 120 Campus LaneCONTACT: Meghan Lucas at vblucas3@zoominternet.net or 724-290-8999TUFF TORNADO RUNWHAT: A 2-mile run with over 18 obstacles for all agesWHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 5WHERE: Alameda Park, 184 Alameda Park RoadTO REGISTER; Visit goldentornadosscholasticfoundation.orgBENEFITS: Weekend Backpack program, creative teaching grants, technology and other supportive scholastic projectsACTIVITIES: Food trucks and 50/50 raffleNOTE: Register by Sept. 9 to receive a free shirt

H. Saxon Soner, 14, of Butler carries a box of donated food at the Stuff A Bus event Tuesday in Butler. He volunteered his time to help collect food to keep hungry children fed for the first three months of the upcoming school year.

Grace Seybert of Butler labels packages of food Tuesday during the Stuff A Bus event sponsored by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation.

Andrew Costel, 16, of the Butler 4-H brought his Rhode Island Red chicken named "Rhody" to the Stuff A Bus event sponsored by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation.